1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to Internet services, and more particularly to a web site permitting users (both businesses and individuals) to manage inventories of their collectibles. In the following specification and claims, the term “collectibles” shall mean any objects of personal property. Therefore, “collectibles” include (i) secondary market items (i.e., an item traded or sold after its initial distribution and/or sale), (ii) antiquities, (iii) antiques (i.e., items 100 years old or older), (iv) vintage items, and (v) contemporary, current and modern items. A collectible could be manufactured as a limited edition, or it could be mass produced. A collectible could be an original issue/release, a reproduction or a reissue. Collectibles include, but are not limited to, the following categories: Advertising, Americana (including Western and Native), Animals, Animation Art, Animation Characters, Antiques, Art, Autographed items, Autographs, Automobilia, Automobiles, Aviation, Banks, Barber Shop items, Barware, Bean Bag Plush, Bears, Bicycle, Books, Bottles, Breweriana, Calendars, Casino, Chalkware, Circus and Carnival, Clocks and Timepieces, Coin-Operated, Coins, Collector Plates, Comic Books, Comic Figurines, Comic Magazines, Computers, Cookie Jars, Crafts, Cultural, Currency, Decorative, Disney, Dolls, Doll Houses, Educational, Electric Fans, Electronics, Ephemera, Ethnic items, Ethnographic, Figures, Figurines and Miniatures, Fine Art, Firefighting, Fishing, Flags, Folk Art, Fraternal Groups, Furniture, Games, Gemstones, Hawaiiana, Historical, Holiday and Seasonal, Jewelry, Keychains, Kitchenware, Knives, Lamps, Lighters, Limited Editions, Locks, Keys, Lunch Boxes, Magazines, Magic, Magnets, Maps/Atlas, Matchbooks, Medical, Memorabilia, Menus, Metalware, Militaria, Movies (Videos, DVD's, etc.), Movie, Television and Radio Memorabilia, Music, Music Boxes, Musical Instruments, Native Americana, Nautical, Newspapers, Optical, Orientalia, Paper, Paraphernalia, PEZ (dispensers, etc.), Phonographs, Photography Equipment, Photographic Images, Pinback buttons and lapel pins, Police, Political, Porcelain, Posters, Postcards, Pottery & Glass, Prints, Quilts, Radio, Raikoad Models, Trains, Railroadiana, Recorded Music, Religious, Rock-n-Roll, Scales, Science, Science Fiction, Sewing, Sheet Music, Snowdomes, Souvenirs, Sports Memorabilia, Stamps, Stoneware, Telephone and Telegraph, Television, Television Sets, Textiles, Theatre, Tobacciana, Tools, Toys, Toy Bears, Trading cards (including Comics, Gaming (sports), Science Fiction, and Other Non-Sports), Trains, Transportation, Trucks, Umbrellas, Vanity Items, Western, Wine, World's Fair and Exposition items, and Writing Instruments.
2. Background Art
Prior to the introduction of the Internet (i.e., the World Wide Web), collectors and businesses catering to collectors used a variety of services and methods for managing their collectibles. Books, magazines, and catalogs provided information about collectibles. Avid collectors formed clubs, and traded collectibles at club meetings, auctions, flea markets, and through classified ads. Many businesses and professionals became devoted to servicing collectors. These businesses and professionals included specialty shops, auction houses, dealers, and appraisers. Other businesses, such as insurance companies, major retailers, and publishers, had a significant portion of their business devoted to servicing collectors.
With the introduction of personal computers and the Internet, a variety of software and online services have become available to collectors. These include software and online services for cataloging certain categories of collectibles contained in personal collections. Although the available software and online services provide features and advantages unobtainable from traditional methods, they do not provide, at a single web site, all of the services of interest to collectors and businesses catering to collectors. Moreover, the management of large collections introduces a problem of requiring users to navigate through a variety of display screens for the various features. Ease of navigation is especially important for attracting new users and inducing them to enter information about their collections into an electronic database. Furthermore, being able to offer an aggregate of services that cater to the needs of the collector is important. Another significant attribute is educating the collector of the items that may potentially be available.